Nap-raising, sleeking, and the like fabric dressing machine



1934- A. SCHIFFERS 1,968,963

' NAP RAISING, SLEEKING, AND THE LIKE FABRIC DRESSING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet. l

A. SCHIFFERS Aug. 7, 1934.

NAP RAISING, SLEEKING, AND THE LIKE FABRIC DRESSING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Attorney Aug. 7, 1934.

A. SCHIFFERS NAP RAISING, SLEEKING, AND THE LIKE FABRIC DRESSING MACHINE 6 Sheets-$heet 3 V 5 I I m m A 0 d 0 e /0 l I m 10 I/ll/ 9 A A. SCHIFFERS 1,968,963

NAP RAISING, SLEEKING, AND THE LIKE FABRIC DRESSING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet. 4

70 1 O 77 2U 1 I 72 O gag 88 o I '15 o 88 0 fiQ men1or: flugwlSc-b/flfirs per Allow.

Aug. 7, 1934.

A. SCHIFFERS NAP RAISING, SLEEKING, AND THE LIKE FABRIC DRESSING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1932 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 1934- A. SCHIFFERS. 1,968,963

NAP RAISING, SLEEKING, AND THE LIKE FABRIC DRESSING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 per rem r -7 1 M 1,

NAP-RAISING, SLEEKING, AND THE LIKE FABRIC DRESSING MACHINE August Schiffers, Aachen, Germany Application August 5, 1932, Serial No. 627,653 In Germany August 12 1931 11 Claims. 26-33 This invention relates to nap-raising, sleeking vention, the surface of the teasels and. cards is and the like dressing machines for textile fabutilized asmuch as possible, since the arcs of conrics and has, more particularly, reference tomatact between the fabric and the cylinder surfaces chines of these types in which the Working cylcan be chosen comparatively large and arranged ihders, such as the raising, sleeking or brushing in close succession to each other around the circ3 cylinders are provided with teasel-rodS or cardcumferenc'e of the cylinders, so that a great numlaths, roller teasels or card rollers and the fabber of contacts can be made on the cylinders. ric is conveyed by means of tension and guide Still another object of the invention consists rollers through the machine in such a manner in providing means for positively driving all or 16 as to make contact with the respective working some of the guide rollers so that they will aid cylinders at a plurality of successive sections. in the feed of the fabric around the cylinders.

The working cylinders of these machines have In the known machines the fabric feeding was a rather irregular circumferential surface due to generally performed only by a positively driven the fact that it is impossible to arrange the teasels feed roller arranged at the inlet and outlet for 15 or cards so that the tips of their bristles or wires the fabric, but this was unsatisfactory because have all the same radial distance from the cen the fabric in passing round the cylinders was subtral axis of the cylinders. In result thereof, the jected to excessive strain and therefore lengthraising or sleeking effect on the fabric is also irened. In a machine in which the said guide rollregular and at the'points where the engagement ers are also positively driven, any deleterious 2d of the teasels or cards with the fabric becomes strain in the longitudinal direction of the fabric too strong; the teasels or cards will be quickly and lengthening thereof are avoided. clogged with fibres and the like. Apart from the above general improvements to It is one of the objects of the present invention nap-raising, sleeking and the like dressing mato overcome the said drawbacks, this being atchines contemplated in accordance with the in- 25 tained' by mounting all tension rollers and, if de- Vention, the invention still further consists in I sired, the guide rollers also in a yieldablef mansome novel arrangements in connection with wet her so that the tension rollers can accommodate sleeking machines comprising a sleeking cylinder, themselves to the irregularities of the surface of a brushing cylinder and'a felting cylinder.

the workin yl n rs and h en a em nt In the known'machines of this kind, it is not 30- tween' the fabric and the cylinders becomes a possible to watch the treated side of the fabric 83 soft one. As a further result of this yieldable from outside. Therefore, it is very difficult and mounti.ng,the-fabric at the places of contact with: cumbersome to ascertain when and whether or the cylinders will bear on the same uniformly not the treatment of the fabric has reached the and the raising" or sleeking effect is considerably desired degree of finish. It is also difficult for the 3f, ameliorated. operators to gain access to' the teasel-rods for Another object of theinvention resides in makremoving or turning the same, since in these ing provision for the tension of the fabric to remachines the vat for receiving the goods being main unchanged when the tension and guide rolltreated is arranged'in front of the s eeki Cy ers are displaced relatively to the working cylinder at one'side of the machine and t goods 40 inc-[ers bringing t fabric t or t 5f are conveyed to the cylinder from the vat at this e5 erative" contact with the cylinders. To this end, "p Q Thus h Vail, and'the machinery the supporting and adjusting means for the tenpart5 above the a greatly p de e acce sion and guide rollers are so constructed that' t0 the sleeking' Cy from h frontfiide, the when operated they impart to the tension rollers real Side b n ly C s b be aus the 45 a stroke of movement different from that of the e o around he Cylinder a that Side? guide rollers. It is thereby attained that. in re- T are QVBTCQme QJCQOTdiIIg to 1 3 engaging the fabric with the cylinder surfaces v ht n y a an in the vat und rn ath the the fabric will applythereto perfectly stretched, s kine ylin r and feeding h goods f m h that is to say without the formationof anyfolds vat o the ki s cylinder at outer or r 50 which might entail an unequal dressing effect or Side Of the machine leaving a portion f t 0y even a napping through of the fabric at the folds er Open at tha Side f gaining e access The adjustment of the tension rollers and guide to the teasel r ds. Besides, the guidin means rollers is effected interdependently and through o the goods a a g d SOthat the QO S l oneand the same operating'mechanism; .passing from the sleeking cylinder, which is 5 With machines constructed according to the inmounted in the lower portion of the machine, to

the brushing and felting cylinders, which are mounted in the upper portion, and from the felting cylinder down again to the vat or to conventional winding rollers have their treated side turned outwardly so that it can be readily inspected from the outside. The arrangement of the vat underneath the main cylinder also allows of making the vat of large dimensions and capacity and of catching any water emerging from the wet goods by the vat, while formerly such water was thrown out of the machine.

further essential feature of the sleeking machine according to the invention consists in that all rotating elements, such as the working cylinders and rolls, clearer rolls, roller temples, feed rollers and winding rollers are positively driven from one common motor carried by the frame through the intermediary of cased spur wheel, bevel Wheel and sprocket wheel gearings. Thus, there are avoided belt drives which, owing to their liability to slip, often produce irregular movements of the driven elements and of the fabric itself with the result that the fabric slackens or is excessively strained, thereby entailing non-uniform dressing of the fabric. With the positive drive according to the invention, a uniformly dressed product is attained and accidents are prevented.

The invention is illustrated by way of examle in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a sleeking machine constructed according to the invention, the central portion being omitted. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of one portion and Fig. 2 a similar section of the coinplemental portion of the machine. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical view illustrating the guiding of the fabric around the main or sleeking cylinder. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the carrying and adjusting device for the fabric tension and guide rollers. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, illustrating a positive drive for the guide rollers. Fig. '7 is a detail view of the gearing for positively driving the rotating elements of the machine.

Referring to the several figures, and more particularly to Figs. 1-3, F designates the fabric under treatment, 10 is the framework of the sleeking machine, 11 is the main or sleeking cylinder with the teasel-rods or the like 11, 12 are the tension rollers and 13 the guide rollers for conveying the fabric around the cylinder 11, 14 is a brushing cylinder, 15 a felting cylinder, 16 a clearer roller for cleaning the brushing cylinder 14, and 17 is a brushing roller for the unfinished side of the fabric. The felting cylinder 15 and the brushing roller 17 are adjustable so as to allow them to be swung into or out of engagement with the fabric. So is also the clearer roller 16 for putting it into or out of engagement with the brushing cylinder 14. Arranged parallelly of the main cylinder 11 at the outer or rear side of the machine is a roller temple 18 designed to feed the fabric F to the main cylinder. Arranged at a certain distance above the temple 18 is a conveying roller 19 over which the fabric passes as it leaves the cylinder 11. As may be seen from Fig. 2 a free space a: is left above the temple 18 through which access may be had to the main cylinder 11. 18' is a roller temple designed to feed the fabric to the brushing cylinder 14. Associated with the brushing cylinder are tension rollers 20 and guide rollers 21 by which the fabric is held in contact with and conveyed around the cylinder 14. The fabric after leaving the brushing cylinder 14 is guided by means of rollers 22 and 23 past the felting cylinder 15. 24 is a feed roller, and 25, 26 are winding rollers or feed rollers, as the case may be, for conveying the fabric back to the vat 27, from which it started to the main cylinder. As shown, the vat 27 is arranged to extend underneath the main cylinder 11. As clearly shown in Figs. 2 2 the arrangement of the several feed and guide rollers is so that the fabric, in passing from the main cylinder 11 to the brushing cylinder 14 and from the latter over the felting cylinder 15 to the winding rollers 25, 26 or the vat 27, has its right or treated side directed outwardly so that it can be easily watched and its degree of finish ascertained.

Mounted in each of the side walls of the frame 10 opposite the heads of the main cylinder 11 and concentrically with the axis of this cylinder is a bevel gear 28 surrounded by a cylindrical casing 29, see Figs. 1 and 5. These gears 28 may be rotated in any suitable manner by hand or by an electromotor. Meshing with the bevel gears 28 are bevel gears 30 corresponding in number to the number of contacts of the fabric F with the cylinder 11. The gears 30 are carried by spindles 31 which are shiftable radially in bearings 32 formed on the side walls and bearings 33 formed by the shell of the casings 29. To allow of a relative shifting motion between the gears 30 and their spindles 31 the former are splined on the latter as at 34, Fig. 5. The spindles 31 extend by their outer ends into hollow projections 35, which contain helical springs 36 tending to force the spindles 31 inwardly towards the centres of the bevel gears 28. The spindles 31 have an intermediate screw threaded portion 3'7 engaging with an internally threaded opening 39 of yokes 38. Rigidly connected with the yokes 38 are parallel rods 40 which extend shiftably through openings of the shells of the casing 29 and have rigidly fastened to their outer ends yokes 41. Rotatably mounted in the opposite ends of the yokes are the tension rollers 12 which serve to force the fabric into contact with the circumferential surface of the cylinder 11. Arranged between each pair of adjacent yokes 41 are crossheads 42 which carry the guide rollers 13, by means of which the fabric can be disengaged from the cylinder 11. The crossheads 42 are connected with the yokes 41 by links 43. Besides, the crossheads 42 are guided by rods 44 extending radially through the shell of the casing 29. The described mechanism is arranged at both head sides of the cylinder 11, but may be operated from one side.

Instead of imparting movement to the cross: heads 42 through the links 43 from the yokes 41, the spindles 44 may be screw-threaded and actuated in a similar manner as the spindles 37. However, in this case the thread of the spindles 44 must have a pitch different from that of the spindles 37.

When the bevel gears 28 are rotated in one direction, the yokes 41 with the tension rollers 12 and the crossheads 42 with the guide rollers 13 are moved inwardly, so that the fabric will be presented to the action of the cylinder 11, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 4. When the bevel gears 28 are rotated in the opposite direction, the rollers 12 and 13 are pushed outwardly so that the fabric is disengaged from the cylinder 11, as indicated by dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 4. If the fabric in passing round the cylinder becomes radial lines 11-1! and that of the tension rollers 12 on lines zz forming an acute angle with the lines 'y1/, see Fig. 4. The relative arrangement and displacement of the rollers 12, 13 is so that the tension of the fabric and the length of fabric 1 on the cylinder are always the same, both when the fabric is in and out of contact with the cylinder.

The tension rollers 12 belonging to one section of contact have always the same distance one from the other in any of their various positions because they are carried by one and the same yoke 41. However, the distance between two successive guide rollers 13 is greater when they are in their outer position than when they are in their inner position. This increase of distance is in part compensated for by the fact that, when the rollers are in their outer position the fabric extends between the tension rollers 12 of each set of these rollers on a straight line, while it extends on an arc of a circle when the rollers are in their inner position. Yet, this compensation is not sufficient to avoid an increased tension of the fabric and a drawing of the same round the cylinder when the rollers are shifted to their outermost position. Now, in order to obtain full compensation and to prevent additional strain the distance than the tension rollers 12 with the result that the length of fabric passing over all tension and guide rollers and the tension of the fabric remain unchanged, see Fig. 4.

It will be understood that there may be used a variety of mechanical means for effecting the displacement of the tension and guide rollers and i that the invention is not limited in this respect to the mechanisms just described.

As already stated, it is preferable totprovi'de means for driving the guide rollers 13 positively. Fig. 6 illustrates such a positive drive for the said rollers. The drive comprises an endless chain 45, sprockets 46 and pinions 47, 48. The chain may have motion imparted to it by a sprocket 49 fast on the shaft of the roller temple 18. The

pinions 48 are fixed on the shafts of the guide rollers 13 and take part in the displacement of the latter when the fabric is brought into or out of engagement with the cylinder 11. The drive may also have any other suitable construction and may be changed so that only some of the guide rollers 13 are positively rotated.

Supported by one of the side walls of frame 10 near the top of the machine is an electromotor 50 which is designed to drive the brushing cylinder 14, the felting cylinder 15, the clearer roller 16, the brushing roller 1'7, the roller temples 18 and 18, the conveying roller 19 and the winding rollers 25, 26 through the spur gears 51, 52, 53,

-pinion for the brushing cylinder 14.

The displacement of the guide rollers 13 takes place on 77, 78, '79, see Figs. 1, 3 and -7.- is the driving driving pinion for the felting cylinder 15 and is swingable with the same. Pinion drives the clearer roller 16 and is swingable with the same. Pinion 66 drives the brushing roller 1'? and is swingable with the same. 60 is the driving pinion for the roller temple 18' and 69 the driving pinion for the bevel'gears 70, '71, 72, etc.

The sleeking cylinder 11 is driven from the shaft of the brushing cylinder 14 through a sprocket drive 80, 81, 82.

Suitable mechanisms are provided for moving the adjustable rollers into and out of operative position. The adjustment of the tension and guide rollers 12, 13 with relation to the main cylinder may be carried out by the mechanisms shown in and described with reference to Fig. 5. Theadjustment of the guide and tension rollers 20, 21 relatively to the brushing cylinder 14 is effected by movable arms 83, which are adapted to be raised and lowered'by screws 84 operated through bevel gears 85. Instead of this device, there may and 7.

While the invention has been described as applied to a sleeking machine, it is not limited to such machines, but may as well be wholly or partly used in connection with nap raising and other fabric dressing machines, and more particularly inconnection with the working cylinders thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is:-

1. In a fabric dressing machine, the combination with a working cylinder of a plurality of guide and tension rollers for the fabric distributed about the circumference of the cylinder and adapted to bring the fabric into and out of engagement with successive sections of the cylinder surface, adjustable supports for the said rollers, and resilient means arranged to act on the supports for forcing the rollers yieldingly towards the cylinder.

2. In a fabric dressing machine, the combina-,

tion with a working cylinder of a plurality of guide and tension rollers for the fabric distributed about the cylinder parallelly thereof, adjustable supports for the tension rollers, and resilient means arranged to act on these supports for yieldingly 1;-

pressing the tension rollers against the circumferential surface of the cylinder.

3. In a fabric dressing machine, the combination with a working cylinder of a plurality of guide and tension rollers for the fabric distributed about the cylinder parallelly thereof, adjustable supports for the said rollers, resilient means acting on the supports to force the rollers yieldingly towards the cylinder, and means for adjusting the supports to displace the guide rollers and the tension rollers relative to each other and towards and away from the cylinder simultaneously but by different lengths of strokes.

4, In a fabric dressing machine, the combination with a working cylinder of a plurality of guide and tension rollers for the fabric arranged parallelly of the cylinder in spaced relation about its circumference, adjustable supports for the guide and tension rollers, means for adjusting the supports to displace the guide rollers and the 69 and the bevel gears 70, 71, 72-,- 73, '74, 75, '76,-

68 is the i tension rollers relatively to the cylinder by different lengths of strokes, guides for the supports of the guide rollers causing the guide rollers to move on radial lines with relation to the cylinder, and guides for the supports of the tension rollers causing the same to move on lines inclined inof the cylinder, resilient means acting on the wardly towards the said radial lines.

5. In a fabric dressing machine, the combina positively rotating at least some of the said guide rollers.

6. In a fabric dressing machine, the combination with a working cylinder of a plurality of guide and tension rollers forthe fabric distributed about the cylinder parallelly thereof, adjustable supports for the said rollers, resilient means acting on the supports to force the rollers yieldingly towards the cylinder, means for adjusting the supports to displace the guide rollers and the tension rollers towards and away from the cylinders by different lengths of strokes, and means for positively rotating at least some of the said guide rollers.

'7. In a fabric dressing machine, the combination with a working cylinder of a plurality of guide and tension rollers for the fabric distributed about the cylinder parallelly thereof, adjustable supports for the tension rollers, means for adjusting the supports of the tension rollers to displace the latter relatively to the cylinder, adjustable supports for the guide rollers, members interdependently connecting the supports of the tension rollers with those of the guide rollers and designed to transmit the movement of the former to the latter.

8. In a fabric dressing machine, in combination a framework, a working cylinder rotatably mounted in the side walls of the frame, guide and tension rollers for the fabric distributed about the cylinder parallelly thereof, supports for the said rollers adjustable on the side walls of the frame substantially radially to the axis of the cylinder, rotatable central gears on the frame walls in line with the axis of the cylinder, and connecting rods between the central gears and the roller supports adapted to transmit motion from the gears to the supports to shift the same radially in one direction and the other for displacing the rollers relatively to the circumference of the working cylinder.

9. In a fabric dressing machine, in combinationa framework, a working cylinder r'otatably mountedin the side walls of the frame, guide and tension rollers for the fabric distributed about the cylinder parallelly thereof, supports for the said rollers adjustable on the side Walls of the frame substantially radially to the axis supports for forcing the rollers yieldingly towards the cylinder, rotatable central gears on the frame walls in line with the axis of the cylinder, and connecting rods between the central gears and the roller supports adapted to transmit motion from the gears to the supports to shift the same radially in one direction and the other for displacing the rollers relatively to the circumference of the working cylinder.

10. In a fabric dressing machine, in combina tion a framework, a working cylinder rotatably mounted in the side walls of the frame, guide and tension rollers for the fabric distributed about the cylinder parallelly thereof, supports for the said rollers adjustable on the side walls of the frame substantially radially to the axis of the cylinder, resilient means acting on the supports for forcing the rollers yieldingly towards the cylinder, rotatable central gears on the frame walls in line with the axis of the cylinder, connecting rods between the central gears and the roller supports adapted to transmit motion from the gears to the supports to shift the same radially in one direction and the other for displacing the rollers relatively to the circumference of the working cylinder, and means for positively driving at least some of the said guide rollers.

11. A sleeking machine for textile fabrics, comprising a frame, a sleeking cylinder in the lower portion of the frame, a brushing cylinder and a felting cylinder in the upper portion of the frame, means for conveying the fabric successively to and around the said cylinders, these means including a plurality of guide and tension rollers for the fabric distributed around the sleeking and brushing cylinders, adjustable supports for these guide and tension rollers, means for adjusting the supports to displace the guide rollers and the tension rollers towards and away from the cylinders by different lengths of strokes so as to keep the length and tension of the fabric unchanged both when it is in and out of engagement with the cylinders, motor-driven gearings for imparting positive rotation to the working cylinders and conveying rollers, and a vat for the reception of the fabric underneath the sleeking cylinder.

AUGUST SCHIFFERS. 

